


Flowers, Freckles and Fated Encounters

by Crazy_Pairing_Person



Category: Haikyuu!!, 斉木楠雄のΨ難 | Saiki Kusuo no Sai-nan | The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Genderfluid Character, Genderfluid Saiki Kusuo, Makeup, Other, Trans Character, Trans Female Akechi Touma, Trans Female Character, Tsukki doesn't know that there are genders outside the male-female binary, but he accepts them when he learns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:33:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_Pairing_Person/pseuds/Crazy_Pairing_Person
Summary: Yamaguchi told Tsukishima that he wants to wear makeup, but hasn't spoken to him since the revelation out of fear of being pushed away. Tsukishima wants to show Yamaguchi that he would never do such a thing for such a stupid reason, so he goes to a makeup store for tangible evidence of his support.If only he knew something about makeup. Looks like a pink-haired, genderfluid psychic and his transgender girlfriend will be his only hope.
Relationships: Saiki Kusuo/Touma Akechi, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 113





	Flowers, Freckles and Fated Encounters

Tsukishima clicks his tongue in vague annoyance, staring down at his phone. Not a single goddamned word from Yamaguchi since he left his home in a rush yesterday, all in tears over such a simple revelation.

_"Tsukki... I want to wear makeup."_

The words had been far too pained for Tsukishima's liking. It had hurt him, seeing how deeply his best friend was affected by this. Even more so, he'd been hurt by looking at him and quickly understanding _why_ he looked that way.

He'd thought Tsukishima would be mad about it. That he would be disgusted, that he would never be his friend again.

And then, before Tsukishima could even try to argue against that, Yamaguchi had grabbed the homework he'd been working on, and been out the door, holding back his sobs until he was out of the Tsukishima household.

And as much as he wants to message Yamaguchi his support, he knows that won't be enough. He's never been good with words. Actions, silent actions, are far more his style.

He grabs his wallet and is out the door before any of his family can ask where he's off to.

* * *

He hops on a train and goes to some mall that's nowhere near Miyagi - he might adore Yamaguchi and want to show him his support, but if someone he knows sees him going into a makeup store, he's damn sure there'll be way too many rumors spreading around Karasuno before he can even blink.

Plus, he doesn't want to out Yamaguchi against his will, so he couldn't even argue against those rumors.

He has to ask someone outside the train station where the nearest mall is, but she's an amicable enough woman and points him in the right direction. Then he's in, and he heads into a random store that he thinks he recognizes as being a store his mother goes to for her own makeup.

Right away, he realizes he should have done some research on makeup before arriving.

"I've just got to find something. It doesn't even matter if he likes it," he mumbles to himself. Except it kind of does matter. What would the point be in giving him something if he wasn't going to use it? Sure, he'd be showing his support, but still, it would just be a waste of his money if it went unused.

So he walks through the shelves aimlessly, obviously lost and without any idea of what he's meant to be doing.

"Kusuo, look! This one would bring out your eyes!"

"Maybe so, Akechan, but it's way too dark. You're the one who likes those kinds of shades."

The second voice catches his attention, and his head whips around, searching for the source. It was masculine - and yet, the guy was in a makeup store, clearly intending to wear it himself. Maybe he could help?

He soon finds the people he's looking for. A pink-haired guy in a floral sundress looks vaguely unimpressed at his companion, who Tsukishima can't tell the gender of - long hair and a skirt would normally be a sign of femininity, but the voice is as masculine as their companion.

"E-excuse me," he says, catching their attention and feeling far too awkward as he does, "would either of you... Happen to be able to help me?"

"We're not staff," the pink-haired guy says, unimpressed. "Go ask the clerk or something."

"Kusuo!" the other person reprimands. "You could at least say it in a nicer tone!"

Tsukishima, however, takes it in stride. "I can tell you're not staff. But you're both clearly more experienced with this stuff than I am. And the clerk would probably just tell me to buy the expensive stuff."

The two look at each other, then shrug. "Fine," the pink-haired guy says. "What's your name and gender?"

Tsukishima thinks his gender is obvious enough, but he doesn't say that. "Tsukishima Kei. I'm a male."

"I'm Saiki Kusuo, and I'm genderfluid," the pink-haired one says, then motions to the other person. "And this is Akechi Touma. She's a trans girl, and my girlfriend."

"Kusuo!" Akechi whines, blushing a deep red.

Tsukishima frowns in confusion. He understands the trans thing, but... "What's genderfluid?"

Saiki, luckily, seems to sense that he's just confused, because the explanation is patient. "It means that some days I feel more feminine, some days I feel more masculine, and some days I feel more 'in-between' - basically nonbinary, in other words."

"Ah... What pronouns should I use for you, then...?"

"I don't personally care," Saiki says with a shrug. "Most people use male ones, since that's what they used before I came out. But no pronouns really encapsulate who I am, so I honestly couldn't care less."

"I'll stick with male pronouns too, then," Tsukishima says, nodding firmly.

"So, Tsukishima, who are you shopping for?" Akechi asks, smiling at him. "Because if it was for yourself, I think you'd have more of an idea of what to look for."

Tsukishima hesitates. "My friend," he says. "He told me he'd like to try makeup, and then he ran off without listening to my response. I think he thinks I'm disgusted, or that I don't want to be his friend, or something, and I wanted actual, physical proof that I still care about him. So... Yeah."

"He's very lucky to have such a sweet friend, then!" Akechi chirps, much to Tsukishima's embarrassment. "Do you maybe have any pictures of him? That might give us an idea of what might look good on him."

Tsukishima, deciding to ignore the blush forming on his cheeks, pulls out his phone and goes through the pictures on his phone, finding a good one of Yamaguchi's face before showing it to the two in front of him. They lean close to his phone, both giving low hums as they examine his best friend.

"Some darker colors would probably suit him," Saiki eventually says. "The kind of stuff Akechan here likes."

Akechi nods in agreement. "Yes, definitely! But we shouldn't get more than a few things - some lipgloss and some mascara. It's usually better to hear about someone's personal style before you go shopping for them. It would look good, but we don't really know what he likes, so he might prefer lighter colors. Lipgloss is hard to mess up though, since even the darker colors look lighter when they're actually applied, and any color that isn't black is just stupid if you're looking at mascara."

Tsukishima nods as he listens, but it must be very clear that he has no idea what Akechi is even talking about. She pauses, and stares at him. "Do you know what lipgloss and mascara are, Tsukishima?"

He blinks. "Um... I know what lipgloss is? It's the stuff that's in the tube, and you put it on your mouth, right?"

Akechi sighs. "That also describes lipstick."

"Is there a difference?"

Saiki and Akechi both immediately facepalm. He notices that neither of their makeup is ruined from it, though - how is that? Is there some makeup that doesn't get messed up when you touch it? That can't be right.

He has so much to learn. He is in way, WAY over his head with this. "I just want to get something for my friend," he complains, looking down at his phone with a frown. "I suck at words, so I need to do something else to show him I care. And this was what I came up with. Could one of you just help me?"

"Mascara," Akechi says as she drops her hand to her side. "You'll get some mascara. Partly because you should learn what it is, and partly because it has less of a margin for error than lipgloss. The color's just one factor when it comes to that. With mascara, the most important thing is the brand. I hope you're prepared to splurge, because the cheaper stuff will be all clumpy and be hard for him to put on."

Tsukishima nods slowly as he listens. "Uh... How much would be considered 'splurging'?" he asks.

"As much as you can spend," Akechi says. "That said, it might be best for me to just show you my and Kusuo's preferred brand - it's not too expensive, but it's very good and doesn't clump up. Also, it's waterproof, and it looks like your friend plays a sport from that picture. He was in a gym or something, with like a bunch of balls and stuff in the background."

Tsukishima nods. "He does. We're on a volleyball team together." He's a bit surprised that Akechi could gather that, though - he can't say he himself would have put it together, in her shoes. "Where is it, then?"

Akechi and Saiki both lead him to one section of the store, and point out some mascara that looks vaguely like everything else on the aisle. The label on it says the shade is 'Raven Black'. "So... What is mascara for?" he asks awkwardly.

"It makes your eyelashes look longer so your eyes stand out," Saiki responds. "Some of them are colored, but if your friend is just trying this out, you might want to give him something that won't stand out too much. So black is best."

Tsukishima nods in understanding. "Okay," he says. "Okay, thanks. I appreciate your help, both of you." Just because of Akechi's comment earlier about price, he looks at what the mascara will cost, and almost winces. Well, he won't be going to that cafe with Yamaguchi after school for a bit, but he'll have enough to get home at least. And if this is what the two are recommending, it would be rude to not go with their suggestion after he'd gone and asked for it.

"You're very welcome, Tsukishima," Saiki says with a nod. "I hope your friend likes it."

"I hope so too..."

* * *

He knocks on the door to Yamaguchi household as the sun is setting. The bag he's holding feels like it has a two-ton weight in it. It's ridiculous to be so nervous about giving this gift to his friend, but... What if Yamaguchi doesn't like it? What if he's one of the people who likes the colored mascara? Maybe he should have gotten some of that, too. He'd have had enough to get home. Maybe.

The door opens, and he forces himself to seem calm as Yamaguchi's eyes meet his. The other boy's eyes widen, and he averts his gaze. "Ah... Hey, Tsukki... I didn't know you were coming over."

"That's because I wanted to surprise you," Tsukishima says in a carefully neutral tone. Then he holds out the bag for Yamaguchi. "Here. It's a gift."

Yamaguchi raises one eyebrow, then looks at the bag with some sort of wariness. He takes it slowly, and Tsukishima watches as he reaches in, pulling out the mascara Tsukishima brought. His eyes widen, and he sucks in a sharp breath, looking up at Tsukishima. "Tsukki..."

"You said you wanted to try it," Tsukishima says, glancing to the side so he doesn't have to look Yamaguchi in the eye. "Had to ask some strangers for help, though. I don't really know jack shit about this myself."

When he looks back to Yamaguchi, his friend is staring down at the mascara tube, a smile on his lips. "Thank you, Tsukki," he whispers. "Thank you so much. I... This means a lot."

Tsukishima awkwardly clears his throat and shrugs. "They said it was waterproof, so you'll be able to wear it during practice. If you want, I mean. It won't run off with sweat."

"I'll definitely think about that," Yamaguchi says. "Would you like to come in? It's late. You can stay the night!"

Tsukishima doesn't fight the smile that tugs at his lips, but he shakes his head. "School tomorrow, remember? I'd do it if I'd brought my uniform, though."

Yamaguchi nods in understanding, and puts the mascara back into the bag. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Tsukki. Thanks again for the gift."

"You're welcome, Yamaguchi. Glad you like it."

He feels far calmer as he walks home, a rare smile settling easily on his lips.


End file.
